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The Global Citizen's Forum (GCF) Replication Framework

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The Global Citizen's Forum (GCF) Replication Framework The author(s) shown below used Federal funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to prepare the following resource: Document Title: The Global Citizen’s Forum (GCF) Replication Framework Author(s): Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER) Document Number: 256023 Date Received: January 2021 Award Number: 2016-ZA-BX-K003 This resource has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. This resource is being made publically available through the Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The Global Citizen’s Forum (GCF) Replication Framework December 2019 This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The Global Citizen’s Forum Replication Framework This Framework is designed to provide a guide to replicating the Global Citizen’s Forum (GCF) afterschool program.1 In addition to implementation information, the GCF Framework provides a methodology, and associated tools, for evaluating the effectiveness of the program. The GCF Framework was developed based on insights gained from an NIJ-sponsored implementation and evaluation of the GCF program in 2019 in two high schools in Prince George’s County, Maryland. GCF Curriculum Overview GCF is a positive youth development (PYD) program designed to improve its participants’ help-seeking behaviors to overcome challenges they may experience in their lives. The curriculum has a core focus on preventing destructive and violent behaviors, and draws from good practices in the fields of PYD programming2 to provide young people with the skills (e.g., competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring) to address a range of challenges, including: • Cyber Threats: cyberbullying, online predators, and cyber crisis (e.g., calls for help or broadcasting intent to engage in violent or destructive behavior) • Personal Crisis: self-harm, suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety • Peer Issues: bullying, teen dating violence, gun violence, and fighting • Group Recruitment: nationalist/supremacist groups, traditional and ideologically motivated gangs, issue-based extremists, anti-state sovereign citizens, and ISIS or al-Qaeda inspired groups While various topics can be included in each implementation, it is important to highlight that GCF was created in response to a perceived need for a youth peer gatekeeper program focused on violent extremism. Thus far, the implementations of GCF have kept this focus, with two modules solely focused on extremism and the introduction of related terms (e.g., radicalization, grooming) throughout the curriculum. The other subjects covered in GCF (e.g., community, culture, hate speech, ideology) offer building blocks to support participant understanding of extremism and serve as gateway topics to help participants develop the requisite skills (e.g., recognition, confidence, advocacy) to seek help in various situations (e.g., crisis, cyberbullying, and anxiety). A central message in GCF is encouraging the students to become upstanders rather than bystanders. An upstander is an individual willing to take a stand for a positive change, including helping their peers receive help from a trusted adult. Conversely, a bystander is an individual who is hesitant to seek assistance or prevent a negative or destructive act. GCF teaches students to cultivate empathy, manage 1 GCF was developed by World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE) in response to an NIJ-funded research (Williams, Horgan, and Evans 2016) that indicated a peer gatekeeping program would be a promising tool to address violent extremism (VE) among youth. 2 Positive youth development is defined as an intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive. This approach recognizes, utilizes, and enhances young people’s strengths and promotes positive outcomes. This is achieved by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and creating the support needed to build on their leadership strengths. Source: “Positive Youth Development” http://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth- development. Accessed June 26, 2019. 1 This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. stress, improve cross-cultural communication, mitigate or resolve conflict, advocate for positive change, and recognize and act when a peer may be dealing with a crisis. The basic GCF curriculum consists of 8 lessons, each approximately 90 minutes in length. The curriculum is comprised of group activities and discussion questions for facilitators, and is focused heavily on student participation. The content of each lesson builds upon the previous lesson. GCF Stakeholders The GCF curriculum was originally intended, and has only been implemented, as an after-school program. Given the structure of the curriculum, it could also be implemented within a classroom setting (e.g., civics class) or even as a component of a larger youth program. With the range of possible implementation options, there is also a wide spectrum of implementers and/or program sponsors, including schools/school districts, local community service providers, sports-based organizations, and religious organizations. The curriculum is geared toward youth at the high school level, ages 14 to 17. While some of the topics could be adapted for a younger audience (i.e., middle school), the issue areas addressed in the basic curriculum (i.e., teen dating and ideologically based violence) mostly require a more mature participant. Teaching Objectives The GCF curriculum has the following teaching objectives: • Increase participant knowledge and awareness of destructive and violent behaviors and related risks. • Increase participant skills and positive attitude for vicarious help-seeking behaviors. • Increase participant understanding of how to be an upstander— a responsible member of their immediate social network and the broader global community. How To Use This Framework This Framework is divided into two sections: (1) GCF Replication and (2) GCF Evaluation. The GCF Replication section walks a potential GCF implementer through the steps necessary to run a GCF program in their community. The components of this section include: 1. Deciding To Implement GCF 2. Initial Planning 3. Adapting the Curriculum 4. Participant Recruitment 5. Facilitator Preparation 6. GCF Implementation For each step, the Framework provides a description, key activities, implementation resources required and considerations for completion. The GCF Evaluation section provides high-level instructions on how to conduct an evaluation of future implementations of the GCF program. This section is divided into the following components: 1. IRB Preparation 2 This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 2. Conducting the Evaluation 3. Evaluation Analysis and Dissemination The GCF Replication Framework also provides a series of Appendices with materials useful when implementing the GCF program, including the 8-module curriculum, the train-the-trainer presentation, evaluation instruments, and other supporting documentation. GCF Replication 1. Deciding To Implement GCF As stated above, GCF has the potential to be implemented in various venues, including the school setting, or as part of a broader youth development program sponsored by a community service provider outside of an academic institution. This Framework primarily focuses on an implementation at a school, but most of this information can also be applied in other settings. It is important to note that GCF is a program that requires additional evaluation to further the research on the effectiveness of a youth peer gatekeeper program for countering violent extremism. As such, there are several factors to consider when deciding to implement and evaluate GCF. Reasons To Implement GCF GCF was designed as a peer gatekeeper training for high school–aged youth. GCF aims to improve teen awareness of a range of challenges to their well-being (e.g., gangs, extremism, cyberbullying, and sexual predators) and the associated help-seeking practices. GCF addresses these challenges within a wider positive youth development context that supports skills for cross-cultural communication, advocacy, a sense of agency, and, more broadly, being a responsible community member. Traditionally, the term “gatekeeper” is often reserved for teachers, physicians, or other specialists who are in a position to detect problems in individuals deemed at risk of engaging in a given undesirable behavior and make referrals to resources that might deter the negative behavior in question.3 The concept of “peer gatekeepers” refers to those individuals in someone’s direct social circle and can include friends,
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